If Bob McNair is going to defend Kubiak, he might try an excuse that doesn’t insult fans

I know I promised not to advocate firing Gary Kubiak this season. I thought we were past that. I really didn’t think his competence would come up again. I did pretty good, though. Took me half a season to flip-flop.

I’m not advocating he should be fired, but I am saying that there are things happening on the field that reflect poorly on the head coach and that if Gary Kubiak doesn’t make the playoffs in his fifth season, there’s no reason to think he’s ever going to make it.

Kubiak is tied for eighth in tenure among NFL head coaches. He’s 35-37. Considering the mess he inherited, that’s not a terrible record. It’s not very good either. It’s just enough to say, ”Well, if this had happened and that had happened we might be pretty good.”

Every coach with more tenure has been to the playoffs at least twice. Every coach he’s tied with—Mike McCarthy, Sean Payton and Brad Childress—has been to the playoffs twice. The Cardinals, Falcons, Ravens and Dolphins changed coaches since Kubiak was hired, and they’ve all been to the playoffs.

Are we supposed to wait forever? Is it our lot in life to watch other teams in the playoffs every January? Are fans being unfair by being ticked off while the owner says the coach is doing a fine job? Besides, Bob McNair’s defense of Gary Kubiak is ridiculous and insulting to his fans.

If I’m a season-ticket holder and I read that statement, I throw up my hands and cancel my season tickets.

First, how does he know that? Dropped balls and missed assignments and general stupidity are a product of players who aren’t concentrating, aren’t mentally prepared, whatever.

Those are the No. 1 things an NFL head coach must do every week. He must somehow get his players to play with a sense of urgency, a feeling that we’ve got to be at our best this week, that we can’t just show up and expect to win.

Good coaches spend a large chunk of their time trying to get their players in the right frame of mind. When I covered the Redskins, they were headed off to play some really bad team.

Joe Gibbs did a number on his players. He quoted statistics that made the opponent look better than it should have. He told his guys, ”They’re going to be like cornered animals. They’re going to react the way we would. They’re going to be fighting for their lives.”

It was absolutely amazing watching the mental transformation of his players that week. By Sunday, they were convinced that they were underdogs and would have to fight and claw just to stay in the game.

That’s the thing an NFL head coach is supposed to do. More than any X’s and O’s, his job is about mentally preparing the team, clock management, big decisions, etc.

When a team is failing in those areas, it’s on the head coach.

Here’s another story: Norv Turner told me of a week in which the Cowboys were 1-3, and headed to Oakland. Jimmy Johnson was a complete jerk that week. He was all over the players and coaches, and by Sunday, the Cowboys were so mad at their head coach that they took their anger out on the Raiders.

The Cowboys won that day on a tipped ball. Now Bob McNair would not see the correlation between one tipped ball and an angry coach, a coach who ticked his players off.

Maybe that tipped ball had everything to do with Jimmy’s rant. Maybe Jimmy’s rant gave the Cowboys an edge from beginning to end. Maybe blocks were crisper. Maybe the guy who tipped the ball jumped a little higher because he was mad at Jimmy.

Here’s one more. Jeff Hostetler once told me ”you’d cut off your arm to win for Parcells on Sunday because you didn’t want to be around him if you lost.”

Let’s be honest. Parcells was a hard man to love, but he was a brilliant psychologist. He knew what buttons to push, and he pushed them. He didn’t do offense or defense. He did the mindset.

One time when one of his teams won a big game in Washington, I walked off the field beside him. Big win, right? Happy coach, right?

No. He chewed out poor Sean Payton all the way into the locker room, and then he chewed out a PR guy. He’d won one game and had already begun preparing his team for the next one.

Life around Bill Parcells was no fun in those days. But if you liked to win, you liked Bill Parcells.

One day he invited Jeff Van Gundy to practice. At some point, he called over Keyshawn Johnson and introduced him to Van Gundy.

”Jeff, do you like nice clothes?” Parcells asked.

”Not really,” Van Gundy said.

”Well, if you ever need any advice on great clothes, check with Keyshawn,” Parcells said. ”He knows everything there is to know about great clothes. Say, Jeff, do you like great restaurants?”

”Sure,” Van Gundy said.

”Well if you need any restaurant suggestions, Keyshawn is your man,” Parcells said. ”Now, Jeff, do you like to win?”

Van Gundy has told that story dozens of times because it was fascinating seeing one of the great NFL coaches in history deliver a message to one of his best players, a player he came to love.

Gibbs did that, too. He didn’t do it by cussing or screaming, either. He knew every player had a button. Winning? Money? Fame?

He had to convince the guy that if he did what he was told he’d get all three things. There were times he’d call a player in and ask, ”Is everything OK at home? Are you happy with your contract? Because I know you can play better.”

The player would leave his office terrified because he’d just been threatened. It may not have sounded like a threat, but it was.

My point is that the head coach is supposed to deal with the little things, and in the end, a lot of little things add up to to impact the final score.

If Bob McNair really thinks the head coach doesn’t have anything to do with dropped balls, he doesn’t understand the NFL. Otherwise, why have a head coach?

If he’s subscribing to the ”Act of God” theory, that is whatever will be will be, then he should just have an inflatable doll standing on the sideline and save himself some money.

Head coaches in the NFL impact winning more than coaches/ managers in any other sport. Because the NFL is different. The NFL is a brutal business, a business of pain and sacrifice.

Players have to get into a particular mindset to be willing to do the things necessary to win a game. Good head coaches make all the difference in the world.

• • •

”I know it’s your job to be critical at times but I hate it when the media beats up on “good people.” Gary Kubiak is a good person. I think sometimes we can be too harsh and forget this is not about life and death but about a game. For every complainer out there, I think they forget what it was like when the Oilers left and how long the city waited to get another team. Thank God McNair is a patient person. There is such a fine line between winning and losing these days in the NFL. There is only so much a coach can do with the overpaid athletes they have to work with. I’m still with Kubiak, win or lose, because he is a quality person and one of integrity. That means more to me than wins and losses.”—Will

105 Responses

As previously noted, Bob McNair’s intransigence on Kubiak reinforces my thought that owners ought to be pee tested along with players. Kubiak is doing a good job? By what standards? Certainly not

by accomplishing anything of note during 4 1/2 seasons. Get rid of the players’ coach and hire a fans’ coach who cares more about winning NFL games than how well loved he might be in the locker room and the board room. The foot soldiers

thought Patton was a tyrant but they sure as hell fought for him. But instead of George Patton we’ve got Neville Chamberlain running the team.

RJ, this may be the best column you have ever written! I mean that sincerely. The historic references set a frame of mind for the reader that really underscore the key aspect of what it means for a head coach to elevate the players in the NFL.

To your point, the truth is (thanks now to free agency) that the general level of talent across the teams in the NFL is relatively even. Sure there are rare stars at individual positions, but generally across the roster it is way closer than decades ago where a powerhouse dynesty could thrash a weaker roster at will. What puts a team into a championship position in today’s NFL is mostly great coaching, preparation, and game management (notwithstanding multiple and significant losses to injury).

I’d love to see McNair hire Parcels, Jimmy Johnson or Tony Dungy as Texans President/Consultant and work with Kubiak and Rick Smith to elevate them to think and work like championship leaders. That would be more “classy” and “gentlemen-like” and it would also be the most effective way to ratchet the organization up to reach that championship level of play. I’m not interested in a full wipe and rebuild and more years of “coming soon”.

The problem is that Smith and Kubiak haven’t changed their mindset from the “building” phase to the “win now” phase. Every week we’re seeing our CBs get torched – which by far has been our biggest issue. Why are we seeing this? Because the powers that be decided that it would be OK to be mediocre (and falling fast) this year so that maybe…MAYBE…three years from now we would have a good group of corners. Dudes! In the NFL you can’t perpetually sacrifice the present for the future. It also shows in the way Kubiak would rather make a statement – such as we will be a “balanced” offense – than to win games. You can do that when your building. Heck, you NEED to do that when your building. When it’s time to win, though, you need to change your mindset, guys.

I think the Astros should bring back Puma. If they have any chance in 2011 they have to improve their offense. Berkman, batting 7th or 8th for the Yankees, is still better than anything the Astros have on their team, esp. if he is healthy (only Johnson had a higher OPS looking at Lance’s Astros numbers). If they re-sign him and the team tanks, trade him again for more prospects.

As far as the Texans are concerned, last year’s #1 pick is a druggie, this year’s #1 pick is a bust, and the play calling is abysmal. After starting 2-0 they might be looking at 4-8 in a few weeks.

I enjoyed reading your blog today, as always. I don’t really have anything to add other than pointing out that Mario Williams is still inconsistent, most of the time. And When he is consistent, he is mediocre. The Texans should’ve taken Vince Young. It’s ridiculous that they didn’t. Vince has been consistent, most of the time. And when he has been inconsistent, he has been brilliant. Except when he’s being crazy or unpredictable. But whatever he has been, he has been interesting which is the one thing that the Texans have not been since 19-10.

I don’t care if they fire Kubiak. I would be happier if they kept him but painted him silver like a Rockets drummer in the early Yao days. Or if he dressed in a football uniform like a baseball manager. Or if he smoked on the sidelines. Something. Anything.

You ever played a round of golf with just a seven iron? It’s hard but fun. Arian Foster should be his seven iron.

I think I might’ve hit a tangent. Need to check the bumper for tangent fur.

Will, I’m a good person too….occasionally….OK one time….well, I could’a been if’n I’da wanted to. My point is even if I’m not a good person, there are millions of great people in Houston… loyal, knowledgable, hard working, fun people. Those qualities make Houston a great place to live, to work and to raise a family. But those qualities are all too often used against said fans to enable bumbling franchises to muddle along year after year after year and reap huge profits. “We gotta be loyal to our guys”…forever?….even if they are a perpetual embarrassment? Do you enable your doctor, painter, auto mechanic, dentist, plumber, policeman in the same way? Houston would not be the 4th largest city in the US if everyone tolerated mediocrity all the time in other areas.

On a brighter note-Richard, I saw you on MLB or ESPN baseball show last night and was very impressed. The other guys, especially the main guy talked too loud and too much and became tiresome. You never interrupted anyone, waited until called on, then delivered concise, thoughtful answers. Well done.

If history is any guide, once an owner gives a public endorsement of his coach, the end is near. (see Jerry Jones 2 weeks ago) We can only hope by Thanksgiving, Ole Kubes is watching the Ags put a beat down on tu in Austin and not “game planning” for the future 6-10 texans.

In Mcnair thinks that the Texans are losing because of “some dropped passes”, then he is an idiot. They are losing because the defense can’t stop anybody. Which is goading the head coach into making risky choices on offense to make up for that deficiency. The first time he went for it on 4th down this week was because he knew that if he kicked a field goal that his defence would give up the lead on the next drive. That choice cost them the game, not Andre’s dropped pass. This team only plays well when coming from behind at the end of the game, because the other team is trying to protect a lead and not being aggressive on offense. You can’t have a winning team if you only play well from behind.

I can recall the days when “we’re/they’re professionals, we should play, (act) like it” was very often the response to criticisms of team and coach coming from fans, players and coaches. And there was following this, “we shouldn’t need any other motivation.” This has apparently been replaced with coaches working things out with psychology. Parcels stories sound like working sarcasim geared to shame someone’s lacking, and this tact can have a positive effect on the player as a reminder. A professional often deserves such. Point is, if this is part of what a coach needs to bring to the table these days because the player mentality is immature, coaches with proven records in this realm (like Parcels) should be sought. Kubiak was a life long assistant, and while he does handle himself with apparent maturity he may have no idea what psychology has to do with football. Motivating a team has always been a “responsibility” for the coach, especially in high-school and college game. The pro’s may be another matter, or as men seems should be, and this includes playing smart football at one’s highest level. One does notice even today’s pro’s most often take that responsibility for their poor play and do so in the media…witness Kareem Jackson’s manning up this Sunday to being torched for two TD’s. Many other examples of “manning up” abound every weekend. Even the college kids in Austin don’t like one to blame Mack for their failures. “Preparation” at the pro level seems should not take a whole lot of attention except practicing to execute, and corrcting mistakes. The coach coaches and the players play. Then, we can ask coach Phillips up in Dallas where his failure was, and how much psychology had to do with the fall of the Cowboys.

Is Bob even watching the games, or just chatting it up with former Presidents?

This has NOTHING to do with dropped balls and missed assignments. It has to do with the many WTF? moments fans see when it comes to a)gameplans, b)in-game decisions, and c)a general lack of fire or preparedness when the team steps on the field. It has to do with believing you could go with the youngest, most inexperienced secondary in the league and thinking you could be successful. It has to do with investing draft pick after draft pick in on the defensive line and still have so little to show for it. THIS is why Kubiak is in hot water with the fans, Bob, not because our receivers are dropping passes.

The Texans have a 5.9% (1 in 18) chance of making the playoffs (http://www.sportsclubstats.com/NFL.html). If Mr. McNair thinks that making the playoffs once every two decades is “doing a good job,” then he and I will simply have to agree to disagree.

That kind of short-sighted thinking is behind many failures. Sure the Texnas are “only a game out of first,” but meteors have to strike all around for them to make the playoffs. The Monday night game was HUGE – easily worth 2-3 ordinary losses. And the Charger game finished plugging the hole.

>”If I’m a season-ticket holder and I read that statement, I throw up my hands and cancel my season tickets.” Done and done. No more season tickets for me. -Posted by: Longhorn Gary at November 9, 2010 10:25 AM

How much money would it take to get Bill Parcels to come here? Time to rebuild this team from the top down. We need a real GM and coach. McNair doesn’t care because every game in franchise history has sold out. Pathetic.

Excellent article. Thank you for not being a homer like a blogger I know of. How can the owner be this complacent? Maybe all that money makes him forget how long the Texans have been mediocre/bad. Playoffs? PLAYOFFS??

How much of that logic would you apply to the defensive coordinator. There seems to be a problem more in that area. Did Kubiak promote Bush too much based on loyalty?

[He was the guy Gary wanted from the beginning. He obviously felt Frank would do a good job, and Frank did do a good job last year. He also had Brian Cushing playing at a different level in 2009.--Richard]

I remember when David Anderson was crying that no one in the locker room liked you but Amobe. Now I know why, BECAUSE YOU SPEAK THE TRUTH!! I wonder if these little girls in the locker room aren’t going to talk to you now RJ? I am sure you are going to be so hurt by that, considering once we get a coach and GM that can actually evaluate talent, 3/4 of these guys will be gone, including the stellar football program of Colorado State alumni. So keep crying DA, RJ will be around here a lot longer than you.

Thank you RJ for being the voice of the FANS. You remember the fans don’t you Mr. McNair? The people who pay for all of this.

It is refreshing to read from RJ or Solomon, and not Gary Kubiak and Bob McNair’s personal ventreliquest doll, John McLame.

I put up the remaining 3 games for sale on craigslist.org Monday morning.

Trust me. I’ve been at Reliant since Dom Capers went 2-14. The level of football played on the field is head and shoulders above that 2-14 team quarterbacked by David Carr. But not much else has changed. The defense? Nothing different. The same. Awful. Worse, actually. Sense of urgency? None.

If you expect me to pay 8 dollars a beer to watch this crap on top of the $71 dollars I spend every game plus parking, get real. I’m done. For all the other fans that complain about the complainers. I’ll join you guys on the damn couch. But for all the complainers, if you’re buying into a seat at Reliant – shout, holler, gripe, moan all you want. Hell, go ahead and sell your ticket if you want. Under Dom Capers, the hometeam was awful. Under Gary Kubiak, the hometeam is average. Those are facts.

“He also had Brian Cushing playing at a different level in 2009.–Richard]”

Is that code for he had him on steroids? When will Cushing be asked to cycle back on? Clearly without them he a shell of his former self. Just watch his pathetic play. He looks like a scared, lost little child. Roid him up or cut him.

Excellent article, and I agree 100%. During the offseason, fans develop hope that their team is doing what it will take to succeed during the season. When they draft someone other than who we wanted, we (some more than others) give them the benefit of the doubt. When they pass on top (or all) free agents, we hope they knew more than the average fan. When we promote an assistant coach to Defensive coordinator instead of getting someone proven, we hope and trust some more. Unless we have inside information, we don’t have much choice but to hope our coaches know what they’re doing or at least are improving and learning from mistakes.

However, the point at which we feel that trust and hope has been rewarded or betrayed is different for everyone. For most, we’ve completely lost faith in this coaching staff the last two weeks. The mentality of hoping (as opposed to critical analysis) allows us to get excited about the season and think we have a shot. Of course, even the most optimistic of us have/had several “ifs” attached to our optimism. If we can avoid injuries. If our defense can make some plays. IF IF IF. My point is that we’ve all moved past the If stage for this season, but McNair hasn’t. Just like Kubiak, I like the guy. But, if he chalks up this season to misfortune and keeps Kubiak, I will flip. Kubuiak has to go – soon.

*WILL*- In the movie, “Shallow Hal”, Gwenyth Paltrow & Jack Black are standing on a bridge, talking & getting to know each other. Her character asks his about gambling on sports. His answer was that he doesn’t bet to win , he just plays for the fun of it. And her response to this is “I read that book”, “Things Losers Say”. Did you read the book or just rent the video?

I am not an advocate for firing Gary Kubiak now,but barring a miracle finish it will be time to make a change after the season.A few of us in the past year have invoked the old line about ” the definition of insanity is doing the same things over and over again and expecting a different result”,and that’s obviously where we are concerning Kubiak and the Texans.I totally agree with the notion that this failure of a franchise is a team effort-Rick Smith,Bob McNair,the coaches,the players,etc.are all accountable in this fiasco,and soon it will be a time for change no matter how hard that will be for all involved.We have had two nice guy head coaches,who much like Wade Phillips,were adept at x’s and o’s but were not good head coaches or leaders of men.We need a hard-nosed person with knowledge of the game who will not tolerate the same dumb mistakes occurring week after week,game after game,season after season,and who will not call dumb plays like a QB sneak on 4th and two.The small Denver-like offensive line has to go the way of the dinosaur,and we need a philosophy that mirrors that of the Steelers and Giants that emphasizes size,speed,talent and toughness.The Texans are not respected around the league because they are a “shoot themselves in the foot” finesse team,and under Kubiak they never will be.

It doesn’t matter what the fans think, it matters what McNair thinks, because he is the one that does the firing. If the fans don’t like it they can stop watching, but then they wouldn’t be fans, they would be just people going to a show, and hoping to be entertained, and complaining endlessly when they were not. Fans will keep watching and hoping the team does better, and hoping if kubiak can’t get it done, that someone who can will be hired. McNair will have to make that decision after the season is over, once he sees what Kubiak was able to do over the whole year. No one gets fired for being 4-4 midway thru a season.

If Texans don’t make playoffs Kubs should be fired, period end of story. His job is to win games which he is average at. The players did not make the bad calls that lost the game either Mr. McNair. As long as McNair makes money it does not matter for him if the Texans win. Hopefully season ticket sales will go down next year so McNair will get the message.

Its easy to think that a team needs an “out there drill sargeant” like Jimmy Johnson or Bill Parcells (both of whom were excellent at what they did) when the team is not winning. However, it is not that simple. A coach does not need to fit a certain mold to be successful.

I don’t know if Kubiak is doing as well as he can or not and, given the money head coaches are paid, I do not feel sorry for them when one is fired.

However, it starts at the top, and I like the Texans’ way of doing things, particularly compared with the way Jerry Jones is doing things in Dallas. Therefore, I defer to McNair on this one. Speaking of the Cowboys, I think Wade Phillips would be a good defensive coordinator for the Texans.

He certainly doesn’t understand what a sense of urgency means. After the Giants loss he said the first offensive play that gained 19 yards showed a sense of urgency. No! It was just a good play call for the defense.

A sense of urgency means playing each down with the effort that it might be the one that makes a difference in the game. Rashard Butler just loped downfield, Chris Meyers made him look like he was in slow motion. Then Meyers whiffed on his block. With 3 blockers and only 2 defenders Owen Daniels went down as much from running up on Butler as from being tackled. If Kubiak expects no more than that it says everything! An uncompromising coach who wants to win would be upset at what could have been. If the coach is satisfied the players will be too.

Against the Chargers Joel Dreessen totally blew the block on 4th down that got Foster tackled. Dreessen just released the defender to block someone farther from the line of scrimmage on 4th and 1. WHY?

If it’s not lack of effort it’s brain dead plays just like that. That is on Kubiak just like the rushed quarterback sneak.

I only see two players who stand out as far as playing each play like it matters and that’s Arian Foster and Andre Johnson.

I like Kubiak but he should be accountable in fulfilling his job just like the rest of us. The players do not play with a sense of urgency, he does not motivate or inspire them. It’s a shame they can’t do that for themselves but that’s part of the job description of a head coach as much as anything else.

Can people please get off the Vince Young bandwagon! Mario Williams is on our team. Vince Young is not. Its not even clear if VY would have been a better pick for our team than Reggie Bush. Perhaps Super Mario was the best pick of the three, but he is struggling because of poor coaching and poor defensive schemes. Great post though, Richard. Kubiak needs to delegate the playcalling to someone else. The rushed 4th and 2 call is a perfect example. It was his job to listen on the headphones and validate or overrule that call. It was not his job to make that call. He is doing too much and not doing a very good job of anything.

I got one name for you-Bill Cowher. He would fix this mess in 1 year. His wife’s battle with cancer is behind him-God rest her soul, he’s had time to grieve and now I’m sure he would love to wrap himself up in the task of building a new team. He’d have instant respect and credibility with players, yet he would hold them accountable every day. His passion and attitude are exactly what this team needs.

Sorry Gary but you have not gotten the job done.

[Bill hasn't coached in four years, and when a guy has been out of that long, I wonder if he still wants to come back. In his four years away, he has learned there's a life away from football. I just don't know if he'll ever coach again. Obviously, he's a great one and would bring instant credibility.--Richard]

Richard, please ask Kubiak why the Texans do not utilize the screen pass to ward off some of these blitzes. If you don’t get a good answer from him, please make it a subject of one of your columns. We have a great back with good hands who is very elusive. Most NFL offenses call 6 or more a game. Thanks.

You dare to call out McNair when he says Kubiak is doing a good job ?? How dare you ! How dare you call out the guy that brought the NFL back to Houston ! How dare you ! How dare you question anything from the guy that brought the NFL back ! How dare you ! This guy spent nearly 1 billion on the NFL team here ! How dare you question his football knowledge or prowess ! Dont you ever do that again ! HEH …..

That is what a head coach is to do EVERY DAY and EVERY WEEK, motivate his team to at least MAKE an effort.

Gary Kubiak, and I could care less if he is a “good person” yada yada yada, couldn’t motivate a starving lion on the Serengeti to attack a wounded wildebeest. The lion would just yawn, growl meekly once or twice and drop dead. That is exactly what the Colts and Chargers were, wounded wildebeests. The had so many injuries, so many quailty starters out that they resembeld an IC unit….yet….Gary Kubiak did just enough or just a bit to little to get his team motivated to win the games….YAWN, GROWL…DEAD….not once but twice.

If I wanted a good person walking the sidelines calling plays and serving as the Texans head coach who is a credit to the human race I would hire some Capuchin Monk in Swaziland or Yanni. I want a coach who can win and instill pride in his team and city.

Some rookie, who wasn’t drafted and was until last week on the Chargers pratcie squad not only had catches against a # 1 draft pick from and SEC school but looked like a combination of Jerry Rice and Lynn Swann on the field. The kid torched Kareem Jackson all day and had a career day. Yet Kubiak says he’s one tough kid and he’s a heck of a player. What was the undrafted kids name again? Desmond Tutu….although he himself could burn Jackson for a first down and he is almost 80.

Gary Kubiak is a failure and an embarassment to the Texans organiztion. He has drafted poorly, he has prepared poorly and he has motivated poorly. Bob McNair, his lap dog Rick Smith and his disciple John McClain are drinking from the Kubiak Kool-Aide font and they have deluded themselves.

Thankfully Richard Justice has the decency to speak the truth and write about it. Its not even a question anymore, Gary Kubiak should be fired, not today but yesterday, he is a fraud and hides behind the three headed hydra of McNair, Smith and McCain.

Season ticket holders and people who buy Texans merchandise I truly feel bad for you.

Hey! If Kubiak wants to call the plays why doesn’t he just be a offensive cordinator?If he wants to be head coach let Dennison call the plays? He needs to let Bush go and get a proven defensive cordinator in here with their own staff.Let the cordinators do there jobs so he can do his.If this isn’t how he wants to do things it is time for him to move down the road.I love the Texans but I am sick and tired of the same ole same ole.Does anyone on 3rd and whatever have any confidence that or defense will get off the field? I sure don’t.And that is a shame considering all the draft picks we have seem to wasted on the defense.

Fire Frank Bush. Thats what I want to happen. I am not on the fire Kubiak bandwagon iether. We all know Bob wont do that. This is not the opportunity for him to fire a coach. Its the tiome for some action though. To save his coach if he wants to keep him. Fire Frank Bush. The worst coordinator we have ever seen. EVER. For an expansion franchise? Thats quit a accomplishment. Frank Bush wont allow our offense to win games through his schemes and gameplans. His defenders are ill prepaired. They regress after we draft them. They tackle poorly after a history of tackling good in their first few years here. The defense continues progress downward after we aquire players. Which means the coaching or scheme is taking away fro their ability or teams have figured it out enough to make Franks abilities to design a effective defense questionable. He sucks on all levels. If Kubiak wants to get fired? Mc Nair wants to fire Kubiak? Keep Frank Bush. By the end of this year.. We will have all of the reasons we need as fans to complain even more when they do. Frank Bush is gone? Some hope for a turnaround and buys some time from the complainers…. Get ready after the next loss Mr Mc Nair. Hope you have Franks number on speed dial to give him his notice or fans will be much more ready to make the decision its Kubiak by then.

1. Please qualify your statements for clarity. This is the first time this season that you flip flopped on the Texans. In recent weeks, you have flip flopped on Berkman at least twice. That said, me too.

2. The Keyshawn Johnson story was hilarious.

3. I agree about Kubiak. He is a nice guy and maybe a good offensive coordinator. But as a head coach, he makes too many bad decisions during the game, and his team plays indifferently at times.

4. Cowher may have been out of the game for four years, but I have absolutely no doubt that he would still win. And even if he has lost his edge, at least he will model the team after Pittsburgh rather than Denver. That alone would be an improvement.

Richard do you believe that Bob Mcnair made that statement just to be politically correct or is he really believing Kubiak is a good coach. Mcnair is saying all the good things but if the Texans fail to make the playoffs will he seek change. The Texans inability to pay for quality free agents, signing Matt Schaub, inability to develop a quality offensive line in 8 years, bad draft selections etc is catching up with this team. Richard do you remember Mcnair hiring Dan Reeves as an consultant when Capers was coaching? Reeves told Mcnair to hire Kubiak (Denver Connection) as the head coach oh yeah he is from Houston right Bob and the rest is history oops I forgot to mention how the politics have ruined the team as well. Look at it on the bright side if you keep bringing pressure like this we can rid ourselves of mediocrity and even have Cowher, Chucky, or Ryan as our head coach for a nice Christmas gift.

This is your best written column ever. Reading your columns I used to wonder how you became popular.Quantity? Speed to the press? This one told me why. You bought yourself another bunch of years with your readers. Thanks.

Richard, I’ve criticized you in the past, rightfully so I think. This was a good column though, Mr. McNair would be wise to heed the points you bring up. I’d much rather say “that SOB won the Super Bowl” than “nice guys finish last.” Time to go out and get that SOB, fans have supported a loser, now let’s get rewarded with a winner. We are owed that much.

Richard, the worm has turned. It’s going to be fun watching you and your boy McClain do the back-step shuffle and call for Kubiak’s head at the end of the season — the jilted duo who have spent the past five years telling us how wonderful Kubiak is. Doesn’t it suck to finally realize how wrong you’ve been all along? Kubiak didn’t just become bad this year, by the way, he was bad from the David-Carr-loving get-go! What is amazing about you guys some times is how badly you disrespect your readers — we only criticize Kubiak because we’re mad when we lose. Well guess what, sometimes we’re right, and those of us who said years ago that Kubiak was a .500 lifetime coach are (and have been) correct. Bye-bye Gary and welcome to whatever coach McNair will hire that you and McClain will anoint as the second coming.

Some thoughts to consider: If these men cannot or will not execute or play up to their suposed talent, is Parcels or a Cowher or a Jimmy Johnson going to get them to do it…maybe, but probably not. What these and some others would do would be to cut the players not performing and find some who will. This would take some time (except for Parcels). If fear of losing one’s job is the motivation, the player shouldn’t be in the profession. Point: The players play poorly as a team and they know it as individuals. The thing about the coaches “getting them prepared or ready mentally…or psyched”, is silly. Coaching well in the pros is giving your players the best chance to win with the talent they have with offense and defensive schemes, pushing them at practice to execute and game management. But if these guys need motivating every week then they’re just collectively collecting paychecks. Texan’s coaching staff may be guilty of not giving team a chance to win with bad play calling, wrong headed defensive schemes, clock management, lack of correction of these, etc. but the players still have to perform at best level. If they fail it should be because the coaches had them doing the wrong things, not because they don’t tackle or catch or cover or hold on to the ball. Texans are faltering of late due to coaching and player failures. They all seem to be trying. If the slide continues we’ll see what happens. Players go, or coaches? Oh yes, the man Will, victimized for decency of thought and word and for daring to remind its “only a game”. Obviously the poor man wandered into the wrong cave… with one little candle.

Right now the best I can see is 5-11 (or 6-10 if there are ever any turnovers when it matters).

They MIGHT beat Denver, but is there much of a chance against anyone remaining on this year’s schedule without someone collapsing? That’s a staggering thought, given the team we saw earlier this year. Time for reality to set in, and for Kubiak to be replaced NOW so we can have some sort of decent run in 2011 and 2012.

Wake up, McNair. It’s time for a coaching change and massive personnel changes, getting rid of average performers who are touted to be better than they actually are i.e., Jackson and Williams as a start.

On that note look west to Palo Alto and Stanford University. There you will find a head coach very familiar with the NFL, his teams play well in all phases of the game and most important is he has proven that he knows how to win football games. Not to mention his lineage and family’s long term success coaching football. Meet Jim Harbaugh. Watch a Stanford Cardinal football game and you can’t help coming away impressed.

After all is said and done Kubiak will be fired, so Mr. mcnair why dont you do the right thing and fire kubiak. You will go from being hated to a hero.You will be loved.In the end you know you will fire him so do it before you get fired.

“I’m still with Kubiak, win or lose, because he is a quality person and one of integrity. That means more to me than wins and losses.”–Will”

Perhaps you’d prefer it if they stopped keeping score, and gave everyone big shinny medals or blue ribbons at the end of the game. No winners, or losers… just good clean fun and no hurt feelings!

You voted Democrat last week, didn’t you?

Kubiak is a failure as a head coach. He doesn’t inspire his team to play winning football. He doesn’t seem to know how to think on his feet. He’s so married to this stupid “balanced attack”, he’d rather stick to that, than go with what is OBVIOUSLY working.

Two weeks in a row now, with his Running Back averaging more than 5 yards per carry in the first half of each game, he comes out of the locker room after the half, hell bent on passing the ball at all costs.

You don’t have to be Bill Parcels, Jimmy Johnson, or Bill Cowher to know that this is a recipe for losing football. However, you do apparently have to be smarter than Gary Kubiak to figure it out.

The main reason head coaches are cut at the middle of the season is to give the public the image that the owner is trying to turn things around, wheather he is or not, he is trying to get people to come to games to see the “new coach”. In fact he wants the heat off his back and have the fans think he is doing what is best for the team and fill his house once again!!!!! Owners and head coaches know this and live with it! When the heat gets unbareable in the kitchen things will happen!! One more loss and the fireworks will begin!

I haven’t seen any articles lately about your horns being relevant, so I forwarded Mack Brown a link to your excellent article on what good coaches do.

[I'm writing about the Longhorns this very moment and will be telling all in Thursday's Houston Chronicle. I will be quoting one of Warren Zevon's greatest quotes: ''Enjoy every sandwich.'' Why do you think Warren's last great quote would apply to my beloved Longhorns? I've been getting taunting e-mails from Baylor fans (Good Lord), UH fans (all three of 'em), Aggie fans (the eight that can write) and right down the line. When you are the program every other is judged by, and when you've been kicking but and taking names for a decade and had won 34 of 37 when the wheels came off, a lot of people are going to get a lot of pleasure out of your pain. You know the funny thing? I find myself liking Mack Brown and Texas football more than ever. People find this hard to believe, but I root for a bunch of schools. I love me some Mike Sherman. Tom Tuberville too even though I don't really know him. Love Baliff and Sumlin.--Richard]

Isn’t it funny when decisions you make years ago have long-term consequences you would have never dreamed of? I think our record this year boils down to the one very crucial mistake of franchising Dunta instead of signing him to a long-term deal. While we all were happy to show him the door last year after the fallout, think about where we would be had we signed him way back when and “Pay me Rick” never happened. No one person makes a team, but Houston and Atlanta had identical 5-3 records last year at this time. This year Atlanta is 6-2 and we are 4-4. Anyone want to venture a guess where we would be this year with a happy Dunta at corner? I’m not blaming Kareem for being put on the spot when he wasn’t ready, but take back a few of those touchdowns he has been torched on that Dunta wouldn’t have been and think about what that would have meant to our record…….

[In defense of Rick, he offered Dunta $23 million guaranteed. In hindsight, maybe it wasn't the right call, but I've thought they went far around. Glover Quin had such an easy adjustment to playing that I thought Kareem Jackson would step in no problem.--Richard]

[In defense of Rick, he offered Dunta $23 million guaranteed. In hindsight, maybe it wasn't the right call, but I've thought they went far around. Glover Quin had such an easy adjustment to playing that I thought Kareem Jackson would step in no problem.--Richard]

Yup, and the Falcons got him for $22.5 million. If we had offered $24 million he would have signed. One and a half million for 2 more wins this year is such a bargain it’s almost unthinkable in hindsight…

[I think ego became an issue. I asked Rick Smith a couple of times if he was calling Dunta's agent daily to explore ways to get a deal. You need to be here, I need to be there, how can we get there? He wasn't doing that. He felt he'd been fair. I chalked it up to his experience as a GM. Again, though, he made a reasonable offer. Also, it comes down to value. How well did Dunta play in 2009? Was he still worth $23 million? There aren't easy answers. They missed more on Kareem than one Dunta. By the way, Kareem is going to get better. There's no way he is as bad as he has played.--Richard]

No matter when Kubiak gets fired, and eventually he will be fired, it will be too late in coming.The post mortem will read “Kubiak made a mark in Denver as a gifted assistant but never could make the transition to winning Head Coach”.I’ve said it over and over again, Kubiak doesn’t have the “right stuff” to be a championship caliber head coach. It’s just not in him. The man is just taking up space on the sideline.

Awwww! Showing Gary Kubiak the door, finally an issue both Republicans and Democrats can both support together. Now that is change I can believe in! Thanks Kubes for bringing us closer together in Patriotic harmony.

Some people wonder how Mr. McNair became so successful financially when he appears to have little sense about owning a football team. Perhaps his success in business hampers him as he is the kind of boss that most of us dream of having. He’s positive, patient, and honest about his employees, gives them the space, tools, trust, and empowers them to make their own decisions, appreciates and rewards high character, and professionalism. It’s easy to understand how he would be successful in business with this formula. Perhaps some or all of this formula is the exact opposite of how he should manage as an NFL owner. I don’t know.

[Different skill sets. Lots of men have failed at sports after being successful at other things.--Richard]

I couldn’t help but feel insulted when I read McNair’s comments about Kubiak. As if we the FANS ,his team’s source of income, don’t have the right to complain about what seems like yet another mediocre, non-playoff season.

The fact of the matter is yes, we are 4-4 and there is still plenty of season left. For most fan bases, this would not be a problem. BUT a 4-4 record indicates to Texans fans that we are in for another year of crap based on what we have experienced under Kubiak.

And you are right, 5 years is more than enough to get to the playoffs, regardless of how bad the team was before Kubiak or how many injuries there are to core players. Enough with the excuses!!! AND that’s exactly what McNair is accepting! HE said that considering the injuries last year that Kubiak did a good job. BS!

Furthermore, there is no reason to believe we will make the playoffs because the defense is terrible and has shown little to no improvement over the last 8 games.

SO YES MCNAIR THERE IS A REASON WE ARE PISSED AND THINK YOU ARE BEING TOO SOFT ON KUBIAK!! MAYBE THATS WHY THE TEXANS ARE SOFT, TOO!!! YOU ARE A SMART MAN, BUT YOU DON’T KNOW SH*T ABOUT FOOTBALL!!!

”I know it’s your job to be critical at times but I hate it when the media beats up on “good people.” Gary Kubiak is a good person. I think sometimes we can be too harsh and forget this is not about life and death but about a game. For every complainer out there, I think they forget what it was like when the Oilers left and how long the city waited to get another team. Thank God McNair is a patient person. There is such a fine line between winning and losing these days in the NFL. There is only so much a coach can do with the overpaid athletes they have to work with. I’m still with Kubiak, win or lose, because he is a quality person and one of integrity. That means more to me than wins and losses.”–Will

Posted by Richard at November 9, 2010 08:38 AM

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VERY WELL WROTE!!! I LOVE it and stand by what this guy, Will, wrote about Coach Kubes!

I have a theory on Bob McNair’s management style. My boss’ boss has a mangement style I categorize as “management by procrastination” This management style is based on not having to make decisions, that problems will solve themselves if given enough time to do so.

My biggest fears concerning Bob McNair are:

1. He still has Dan Reeves phone number in his contact list, and will use it again if he has to.

2. Bob attended the same professional team owner school as Bill Bidwell (Cardinals), the Ford family (Lions), and the Chicago Tribune company (Cubs).

Somebody needs to email this article to Bob McNair. This hits the nail on the perverbial head. Kubiak is one standup guy. I appreciate his work ethic and the respect he shows his players, but unfortunately, it takes more to win in the NFL. But since Kubiak is a smart man, I beleive he could take the next step in the coaching profession if he could turn over the offensive play calling and plug the defensive holes. And I hope he has learned to never ever put a rookie in the backfield. In his defense, he isnt the only coach to ever try that and get burned. But it’s time for the Texans to start winning, or they will go down as losers.

”I know it’s your job to be critical at times but I hate it when the media beats up on “good people.” Gary Kubiak is a good person. I think sometimes we can be too harsh and forget this is not about life and death but about a game. For every complainer out there, I think they forget what it was like when the Oilers left and how long the city waited to get another team. Thank God McNair is a patient person. There is such a fine line between winning and losing these days in the NFL. There is only so much a coach can do with the overpaid athletes they have to work with. I’m still with Kubiak, win or lose, because he is a quality person and one of integrity. That means more to me than wins and losses.”–Will

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VINCE LOMBARDI IS ROLLING IN HIS GRAVE.———————————————————————- WILL, LIKE IT OR NOT NORMAL FANS LIVE TO A CERTAIN EXTENT VICARIOUSLY THROUGH THEIR AFFILIATION WITH THE TEAM THEY CLAIM. WE AS A SOCIETY HAVE LOST THE OPPROTUNITY TO EXPRESS THOSE MORE PRIMAL INSTINCTS.IT IS MUCH MORE ENJOYABLE TO SHARE VICARIOUSLY A WIN THAN A LOSS. THIS IS NOT A BAD THING, WE AS HUMAN ANIMALS NEED SOME SORT OF OUTLET. THE GREEKS WOULD EVEN WRITE THEIR PLAYS TO ALLOW THAT EMOTIONAL OUTLET. IT IS CALLED A CATHARSIS. IF WINNING ISN’T IMPORTANT, WHY DO YOU WATCH? WILL, YOU SEEM LIKE A CULTURED PERSON, AGAIN WHY DO YOU WATCH FOOTBALL IF IT ISN’T TO ROOT FOR YOUR TEAM TO WIN AND THEREFORE SHARE VICARIOUSLY IN THAT VICTORY, WHAT IS IT. MAYBE IT’S THE MEN TIGHTS, IF THAT’S THE CASE MAYBE THE BALLET WOULD BE MORE UP YOUR ALLEY.——————————————————————————————————————————————————————– AS A TEAM YOU HIRE COACHES TO HELP THE TEAM WIN, YOU DRAFT PLAYERS THAT CAN HELP YOU WIN, YOU HIRE VETERANS TO HELP YOU WIN, YOUR FANS SCREAM TO INTERFERE WITH THE OPPOSING TEAM SO THAT, YOU GUESSED IT, YOU CAN WIN, YOU GIVE YOUR PLAYERS THE BEST EQUIPMENT SO THAT THEY CAN WIN (AND STAY HEALTHY, SO THAT THEY CAN WIN). THIS GAME IS A VICIOUS, AGGRESSIVE HE-MAN SPORT. IF OUR TEAM FAILS TO WIN. WE HAVE TO LOOK AT WHAT IS MISSING, HAVE WE PICKED THE WRONG COACH? HAVE WE DRAFTED THE WRONG PLAYERS? IS OUR EQUIPMENT NOT COMPETITIVE? I WILL ADDRESS THESE IN REVERSE ORDER. FIRST, WE HAVE THE SAME EQUIPMENT AS EVERY OTHER TEAM; THEREFORE THE EQUIPMENT ISN’T THE ISSUE. THE PLAYERS WE DRAFTED (WITH A FEW EXCEPTIONS) WOULD HAVE BEEN DRAFTED BY OTHER TEAMS DIRECTLY AFTER US, SO THEREFORE; FOR THE MAJORITY, WE PICKED THE RIGHT GUYS. A COACHES JOB HAS FIVE MAJOR PARTS 1. BUILDING THEIR TEAM. 2. TRAINING THEIR TEAM. 3. GAME PLANNING. 4. GETTING THEIR PLAYERS READY TO WIN. 5. TROUBLE SHOOTING DURING THE GAME. THIS IS THE ONE AREA THAT IS WITHOUT QUESTION A FAILURE. THIS COACHING STAFF HAS FAILED IN THEIR DUTIES.I WILL REPEAT, WINNING IS EVERYTHING.

McNair: Well, they’re pretty cute; I like tigers and cougars a little better I think. I don’t have any though…sold ‘em when I sold the race horse ranch…

ESPN: No…the Jacksonville Jaguars.

McNair: We have not played them yet….have we?

ESPN: Never mind. Any comments on Kareem?

McNair: You bet! I am huge Lakers fan! Abdul-Jabbar was the best ever!

ESPN: Kareem Jackson.

McNair: Jackson Five?

ESPN: Moving on… Your Texans are 4-4, your head coach is 35-37…and you have the worst defense in the league.

McNair: Oh…not to worry! I got an email yesterday from Terry Kubiak and he said everything is fine. Hey! Did ya watch the Breeders Cup?

ESPN: No. Speaking of horses… You divested your horse racing assets a couple of years ago so you could…and I quote…”concentrate on football operations”. What has that accomplished?

McNair: Oh man! Lots of really COOL stuff! Have you seen the bullhorn at Reliant? It’s awesome! I had it custom made and I picked where to install it. And how about those increases in season ticket and parking passes? And “no ticket – no tailgate”…all me!

ESPN: Good for you. Any update on the Cushing position?

McNair: Nope; don’t use ‘em anymore. I like the donut better; no one can tell you are setting on one…

Superb article Richard; succinct and the truth. Kubiak is not a leader of men, quite the contrary as we see week after week, year after year. The wrong man went to College Station; the underachiever familiar with leading ‘kids’ stayed here. For having the final say-so over this 9 1/2 year exercise in abject futility, McNair is egregiously at fault…without a doubt, the most inept owner in the NFL (just what we needed after Bud) Thanks Bob for the gift of sub-medocrity that just keeps on giving!

bring in cowyer, john fox, rex ryan gotta get a defensive minded coach in here…this is ridiculous. How bad can one defense be? Just as we are saying they couldn’t be any worst they find a way be worst than we thought they were.

I loathe much of what you write mostly because your opinions are arrogant and ridiculous. You’re a step above Mariotti, but it’s a small step. However, this was a fantastic article. Damn good read, and yet one more piece of evidence that blind squirrels do indeed find nuts.